A healthcare center can tell a community that it belongs there before the first appointment begins. At Echo Cliffs Health Center in Northern Arizona, local artwork is part of that welcome.
The outpatient center near Bodaway-Gap and Coppermine displays 110 works by Diné, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute artists, according to October 1 reporting from Navajo Times. For Arizona healthcare employers, the story offers a useful connection between community identity, meaningful work and the practical conditions that make rural careers possible.
A new center with a local story
Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation operates Echo Cliffs. Its grand-opening announcement set the celebration for October 2, 2026, and its official service page lists October 5 as the start of patient services. It is an outpatient facility, without emergency services.
The art reflects an intentional effort to include local voices. In its February 2025 call for artists, TCRHCC invited submissions that represented the region’s traditions, stories and landscapes. That invitation matters: the community was asked to help shape the environment.
Project architect Dekker describes a design rooted in Hózhǫ́, with attention to balance and harmony. Natural materials and an east-facing entrance connect the building to its setting. Those are the project team’s stated design intentions, rather than evidence of measured patient or employee outcomes.
Give candidates a real community to picture
Recruiting materials often describe a rural opportunity through the vacancy: the specialty, schedule, compensation and urgency. Candidates also need to understand the community they would join and the people their work would serve.
A community-rooted setting can give employers something specific to discuss during a site visit. Introduce candidates to local colleagues. Explain who shaped the facility and why. Let community members speak for themselves, and credit artists when their work is featured.
For locally connected candidates, explore whether the role supports working closer to family. For candidates relocating from elsewhere, offer a realistic introduction to life outside the clinic. A recruitment visit should leave someone better able to picture an ordinary workday and an ordinary weekend.
This is HealthOp’s recruiting interpretation of the project, not a claim that its artwork has increased applications or reduced turnover. Those outcomes would require workforce data.
A sense of belonging also needs a place to live
Echo Cliffs also brings the practical side of rural recruitment into view. TCRHCC’s official project page says 92 staff housing units are under construction, with completion expected in December 2026. Employers discussing the development with candidates should distinguish planned housing from accommodation available today.
A clinician may be enthusiastic about the mission and still be unable to accept an offer without a workable move. Before promoting housing as a benefit, recruiters need clear answers about eligibility, cost, unit availability, move-in dates and temporary options if construction takes longer than expected.
The same questions apply to family needs, transportation and a partner’s employment. Each employer should explain what it can provide, what local resources exist and what the candidate will need to arrange.
Our earlier analysis of rural RN recruitment and sign-on bonuses in Arizona examines the broader employment offer. Echo Cliffs adds a concrete example of why relocation planning deserves a place beside compensation.
Build the recruitment promise around the operating reality
Navajo Times reported 80 employees hired and ongoing recruitment. Its reported capacity of 239 workers is a facility-capacity figure, not a count of current vacancies.
For employers opening or expanding a rural site, the useful next steps are:
- Make the site visit meaningful. Show candidates the team, community relationships and daily work alongside the building.
- Connect hiring and relocation timelines. Align credentialing, start dates, housing and orientation before promising a move-in package.
- Staff the whole patient journey. Plan clinical positions together with registration, laboratory, pharmacy and operational support.
- Check whether the offer works after arrival. Ask new employees about relocation friction and community connection at 30 and 90 days, then track retention by role and recruiting source.
Echo Cliffs’ local art is the bright spot. The wider employer lesson is to connect the place people serve with the life they can build there. Community identity gives the opportunity meaning; reliable working conditions and relocation support help make it achievable.
If your Arizona organization is recruiting for a difficult rural clinical or leadership role, explore HealthOp’s Direct-to-Hire Recruiting support.
